Reuters Entertainment News Summary
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Fast and furious? China's stalling box office points to consumer slowdown
China's cinemas are showing signs of weakness, a concern for policymakers who had looked to stellar box office receipts over the last half-decade as a sign consumers were picking up some of the slack from ailing exports and manufacturing. Ticket sales dropped 10 percent in the second quarter of the year versus 2015, the first dip in around five years and a far cry from stellar growth at the start of the year. July sales slumped further, data from box office tracker EntGroup showed.
Dozens arrested for alcohol misuse at rappers' New York concert
Dozens of people, many of them underage, were arrested at a concert by rappers Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa in Long Island, New York because of alcohol misuse and nine were hospitalized with alcohol related issues, authorities said on Wednesday. Law enforcement officers confiscated alcohol and arrested 75 attendees at Tuesday's show at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach near Wantagh, a small community in Hempstead. Ambulance crews treated some of those sickened at the scene.
Musician Ed Sheeran faces copyright lawsuit over 'Thinking Out Loud'
Heirs of the composer for Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" sued British musician Ed Sheeran on Tuesday, claiming his hit song "Thinking Out Loud" copies core elements of the late soul singer's 1973 track. The copyright infringement lawsuit was filed by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the lyrics to "Let's Get It On" in 1973 and created its musical composition, according to the complaint filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York.
Rihanna, Anne Hathaway expected to join female 'Ocean's Eight'
Pop star Rihanna along with actresses Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter are in talks to join Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett in a female-driven spinoff of the "Ocean's Eleven" crime caper franchise, Hollywood trade publications reported on Wednesday. News of the movie comes a month after the release of the all-female remake of the beloved 1980s action comedy "Ghostbusters," this time starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, that prompted a hate-filled backlash on social media.
A Minute With: Robert Redford on magical childhood stories
Hollywood veteran Robert Redford returns to his childhood love of fantasy stories in "Pete's Dragon," a new Disney film about an orphaned boy living in a forest and his friendship with one such creature. The fantasy adventure is a remake of the 1977 movie of the same name and this time movie features a realistic green-furred computer-generated creation of the dragon named Elliot.
'Game of Thrones' author's 'Wild Cards' to become sci-fi TV series
As HBO's hit "Game of Thrones" heads towards its concluding seasons, George R. R. Martin, the author behind the medieval fantasy series, has already lined up his next TV project, a new anthology series called "Wild Cards." The new sci-fi series was announced by Martin over the weekend and will be based on the "Wild Cards" novels and stories written by numerous authors and curated by Martin and Melinda Snodgrass.
Supermarket foods star in Seth Rogen's raunchy 'Sausage Party'
Actor and writer Seth Rogen brings his latest offering to the big screen with "Sausage Party," an innuendo-filled animated film focusing on supermarket foods unaware of what happens to them after they leave store shelves. The movie, whose voice cast includes Salma Hayek and Kristen Wiig, has had a long journey to make it to cinema screens, remaining shelved without financiers for years.
Meryl Streep makes music, badly, in 'Florence Foster Jenkins'
Meryl Streep has showcased her musical talents in several films, but her abilities take a purposeful turn for the worse in "Florence Foster Jenkins." The triple Oscar-winner portrays the real-life title character, a World War Two-era New York socialite whose passion for music far outweighed her singing skills.
Captain America returns to his Brooklyn roots
Marvel's patriotic superhero Captain America was cast in bronze to watch over New York City, as a giant statue of the fictional comic-book character went on display on Wednesday. First displayed at San Diego's Comic-Con event last month, the one-ton (907 kilograms) bronze statue, measuring 13 feet tall (4 meters), was unveiled in Brooklyn's Prospect Park to commemorate Captain America's 75th anniversary. The statue will remain there until August 23, after which it will move throughout the borough.
Pedro Almodovar reflects on 'Julieta' at UK premiere
Acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almovodar said he found a new challenge in his latest film "Julieta," mining a quieter drama for his 20th feature film as he reflected on his decades-long career. "Julieta" is an adaptation of several Alice Munro stories about a single mother drifting into depression as she searches for her missing daughter and discovers much about her traumatic past is not what it seems. The film stars Emma Suarez as the older Julieta and Adriana Ugarte as the younger iteration of the character. Almovodar, 66, known for complex dramas such as "Hable con Ella" ("Talk to Her"), "Todo sobre mi madre" ("All About My Mother") and "Volver," said "Julieta" presented a new challenge for him.
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